369th Infantry Regiment (United States)

This article is about the infantry regiment made famous by its nickname, the Harlem Hellfighters. For the novel by Max Brooks, see The Harlem Hellfighters.

15th New York National Guard Regiment
369th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active2 June 1913–present (369th Sustainment Brigade)
15 May 1942–3 February 1946 (AUS)
Country United States
Branch United States Army
 French Army (attached during WWI)
TypeInfantry
SizeRegiment
Nickname(s)Hell-fighters, Men Of Bronze, Black Rattlers
Motto(s)"Don't Tread On Me, God Damn, Let's Go"
EngagementsWorld War I

World War II

Commanders
Notable
commanders		William Hayward (American attorney) Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
Insignia
DUI
U.S. Infantry Regiments
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368th Infantry Regiment 370th Infantry Regiment
The 369th in action. After being detached and seconded to the French, they wore the Adrian helmet, while retaining the rest of their U.S. uniform. Seen here at Séchault, France on 29 September 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, they wear the U.S. Army-issue Brodie helmet, correct for that time.[1]

The 369th Infantry Regiment, originally formed as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment before it was re-organized as the 369th upon its federalization and commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, was an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard during World War I and World War II. The regiment mainly consisted of African Americans, but it also included men from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guyana, Liberia, Portugal, Canada, the West Indies, as well as white American officers.[2] With the 370th Infantry Regiment,[3] it was known for being one of the first African-American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.[4]

The regiment was named the Black Rattlers after arriving in France by its commander Colonel William Hayward.[5] The nickname Men of Bronze (French: Hommes de Bronze) was given to the regiment by the French after they had witnessed the gallantry of the Americans fighting in the trenches. Legend has it that they were called the Hellfighters (German: Höllenkämpfer) by the German enemy, although there is no documentation of this and the moniker may have been a creation of the American press.[6][7][8] During World War I, the 369th spent 191 days in front line trenches, more than any other American unit. They also suffered the most losses of any American regiment, with 1,500 casualties.[9][10] The regiment was also the first of the Allied forces to cross the Rhine into Germany. The lineage of the 369th Infantry is perpetuated today by the 42nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade.

  1. ^ Nelson 2009.
  2. ^ "15th New York National Guard Enlistment Records | New York Heritage".
  3. ^ "E.J. Scott. The American Negro in the World War. Chapter XV". net.lib.byu.edu.
  4. ^ Gero 2009, p. 44.
  5. ^ Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality
  6. ^ "369th Infantry Regiment "Harlem Hellfighters" •". 18 January 2007.
  7. ^ Wang 2014.
  8. ^ Gero 2009, p. 56.
  9. ^ "One Hundred Years Ago, the Harlem Hellfighters Bravely Led the U.S. Into WWI".
  10. ^ "Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I". National Archives. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2021.